


The long way 'round

by sedna_mode



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Emotional Constipation, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Season/Series 06, Pre-Season/Series 07, Sheith Flower Exchange 2018, only compliant for s6 tho, s7 will surely nuke all this lol, sheith and sunset imagery is my jam yo, shiro and keith have a long overdue chat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-20 00:26:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15522048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sedna_mode/pseuds/sedna_mode
Summary: The long trip back to Earth provides some prime reflection time, and Keith finally gathers up his courage to say something that's been on his mind for a while.





	The long way 'round

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nextredpaladin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nextredpaladin/gifts).



> This was written for nextredpaladin on Twitter as part of the 2018 Sheith Flower Exchange, hope you enjoy! I'm pretty late, life has gotten kinda busy in the last couple months. Thanks to the mod for allowing me to take extra time to finish this!
> 
> I chose to use Red Tulip (Declaration of Love)

It was a long, slow, arduous journey to get back to Earth after they lost the Castleship. They tackled it in stages, hopping from one coalition-held planet to the next as they limped back towards safety and familiarity. They never stopped for more than a few days anywhere they touched down, staying just long enough to restock on food and supplies and give themselves a chance to stretch their legs and breath air that wasn’t recycled for a day or two.

They tried to plot their route to steer clear of major hubs of Galra activity as much as possible, but it was inevitable that they would run into the odd patrol every now and then. When they did they tried not to engage, or at least not use Voltron unless absolutely necessary. With so many extra passengers and cargo on board the lions, it was in everyone’s interest to avoid getting too badly shaken up (Lance still had tender ribs from where Kaltenecker kicked him in a panic caused by the Voltron formation sequence).

Keith sighed as he stretched his arms above his head, wincing as his back gave an audible pop. He tore his eyes away from the vast nothing beyond the black lion’s cockpit and glanced at the clock in the corner of his console. It had been just over five hours since Shiro had retired to the makeshift living area they’d set up in the lion’s cargo bay for his rest shift, Keith’s wolf padding after him to keep him company. Keith knew it was unlikely Shiro had gotten more than one or two hours of actual sleep during those 5 hours—his insomnia seemed to be even worse since he’d come back from the astral plane—but he’d stayed back there for almost his entire allotted down time which was an achievement in itself.

Keith reached forward and turned up the volume on the comms, sparing a few seconds to simply listen to the conversations. Lance and Pidge appeared to be playing some kind of tongue twister game to pass the time, with occasional interjections by Matt from the background of Pidge’s feed. Coran’s voice came through faintly from the yellow lion feed; he appeared to be singing under his breath to himself.

Keith smiled as he listened to them all. Keeping the comms open at all times had started as a necessity; as the current leader of Voltron he had to always make sure everything was going smoothly, and constant communication was the key to keeping their raggedy convoy together. But it had quickly morphed into a comfort thing. Spending so much time alone in their individual lions with nothing but the empty universe around them had pushed them all to seek contact with each other in whatever way they could. Keith had never asked, but he suspected the comm in every other lion was on 24/7 just as his was.

“Hey team how’s everyone doing? Shift change is coming up in just under a varga.”

The noise from the others quieted as Keith spoke, commanding their attention. One by one viewscreens popped up on Keith’s dash and they all gave their status.

“I’m all good here,” said Pidge. Matt waved from over her shoulder. “Matt is ready to take over whenever.”

“Hunk appears to still be fast asleep,” came Coran’s voice, “I’ll go wake him up presently.”

Romelle waved from the blue lion’s screen, Allura next to her. “Blue lion ready for shift change, Keith.”

“Red lion is a-okay,” added Lance. “I’m pretty sure Krolia is awake but she’s just not—oh there she is. Krolia say hi to your son!”

Krolia’s face appeared in Lance’s viewscreen and she good-naturedly shoved his head out of the frame.

“Keith, I am ready to watch over the red lion for the next six varga.”

“Good, thank you.”

It sucked a little being separated from Krolia like this, but it was necessary for the pilot rotation system they’d devised. When they had embarked on the journey to Earth and it dawned on them they’d be spending long stretches just flying through empty space, sometimes even days at a time before reaching somewhere to touch down, they had collectively agreed it’d be impossible, even unsafe, to expect the paladins to pilot the whole way. Luckily it was a pretty simple job to keep the lions going in a straight line after they’d been set on a course, all that was needed was for someone to be in the cockpit making sure they weren’t drifting and keeping watch for Galra ships. Anyone could do it, even Romelle who had no experience with ships. So they’d all divided themselves so there were two people in every lion at all times, and they’d established the 6 varga shift system.

Pidge squinted at him through her screen.

“What’s _your_ status then, Keith? Where’s Shiro?”

“I’m here, no need to worry.”

Keith turned around as Shiro entered the cockpit, Wolf trotting in beside him before disappearing and reappearing next to Keith’s chair. Shiro came forward and leaned over the back of the seat to get in the frame so he could wave at Pidge, who waved back with a smile.

Idly Keith drew his fingers through the thick fur of Wolf’s scruff as he took in Shiro’s appearance from the corner of his eye. He looked tired, despite having just had a break; the bone deep weariness that had seemed to shroud him since his return to the physical plane evident to Keith’s eyes, in the droop of his shoulders and the paleness of his skin. Still, the time away from the cockpit must have done him some good, because there was a spark in his eyes as he bantered back and forth with Pidge and Lance over the comm.

Keith bit his tongue to avoid saying anything. It had been weeks since those fateful events at the clone base and the rocky moon, and while Shiro had clearly gotten much better since then, he was still far from back to full health. Keith worried it was taking too long, that something deeper was going on, preventing Shiro from recovering, but Allura had assured him she could detect nothing out of place with her magic, and Coran had said all physical signs were good after scanning Shiro with a device from the med kit they’d rescued off the Castle. He just needed to be patient and give it time, like Shiro always said. After all there was no handbook for this situation.

Shiro looked away from the screens for a moment and caught Keith staring.

“Something on my face?”

Keith looked away, a bit of colour rising to his cheeks.

“No, no. Just…”

“…just?”

Keith stared pointedly at his dashboard, avoiding eye contact. Luckily everyone else in the other lions had stopped paying attention, distracted with preparing for the upcoming shift change.

Finally he muttered out. “You’re looking good today.”

Shiro chuckled lightly and dropped a hand to Keith’s shoulder. The contact sent warmth blooming in his chest.

“Thanks, I’m feeling good too. I can feel my strength returning every day.”

“That’s good.”

“Yeah.”

It was on the tip of Keith’s tongue to say more. To ask about how much Shiro remembered, about the cloning facility, the fight, his time in the black lion, the words he’d spoken. As always, he bit it back. He wasn’t good at this, didn’t know how to start the big important conversation they needed to have. It was always so easy to rationalize putting it off; there was so much other stuff going on, so much to take care of to keep the team going…

Instead he smiled up at Shiro and rose from the pilot’s chair, watching as he settled in with a grateful sigh, before turning around and heading for the cargo bay.

* * *

 

Shiro watched Keith leave out of the corner of his eye and bit back a sigh.

Something had shifted between them since they had returned from the cloning facility and everything that happened after. At many points during this trip he had felt like Keith was on the verge of saying something, something big and important, only to back away at the last minute. It left Shiro feeling slightly uneasy, that there might be something Keith didn’t feel comfortable telling him. They were supposed to be on the same wavelength, had always understood each other deeply, even without words.

Shiro stamped down the urge to call after Keith. Forcing him to hang out in the cockpit would be the opposite of helpful at this point; if Keith was working through something it was best to leave him to it. He’d come to Shiro when he was ready.

Still, Shiro missed him. It was an odd feeling, given they were essentially living together in the confined space of the black lion.

He slumped a little in his seat, getting comfortable. “What am I going to do, Black? Everything’s gotten all mixed up.”

The dashboard lights pulsed gently and a low hum like a purr filled the cockpit, both comfort and chiding at the same time.

“I know, I know. I just need a little patience.”

* * *

 

The planet up ahead harboured no sentient life, at least according to their scans. But it had a breathable atmosphere and was home to a lush and abundant flora with several glistening bodies of water. No animal bigger than Wolf registered on their instruments. In short it was a perfect paradise for a pit stop. It was out of the way, quiet, untouched, bursting with resources they needed to replenish their stores, and above all devoid of any dangers.

“Head for that big open field next to the lake, there should be enough space for all the lions and it’s close enough to the forest for foraging,” Keith instructed. “I think we can probably stay here for two or three days, that’ll give us the chance to rest up and find everything we need and recharge the lions. What do you think, Allura?”

“I think that’s very acceptable,” came her reply from the blue lion. “A rest and some time outside the lions will do everyone good.”

The announcement was met with cheers from all corners, and Keith allowed a smile. Yeah, it was time for some down time planetside.

As they made their final approach Shiro appeared in the cockpit, naturally moving to stand behind Keith on his right. Shiro’s left hand landed on the back of Keith’s seat, and for a split-second he was disappointed it wasn’t on his shoulder. Keith mentally shook himself and focused his attention forward.

“This looks like a nice place,” remarked Shiro.

Keith hummed. “Yeah, should be perfect for a few quiet days.”

Shiro didn’t say anything, and they lapsed into silence as they watched all the other lions land before setting down themselves. Keith busied himself with the controls, setting the black lion in sleep mode so it could recharge itself from the ambient energy.

The silence between him and Shiro took on a pregnant quality, as it often did these days. Keith could feel it coming; it was time to have that talk he’d been putting off.

He took a deep breath, with half a mind to ask Shiro if they could chat this evening.

What came out instead was, “I should go make sure Lance isn’t destroying our camp as much as setting it up.”

Shiro opened his mouth, then closed it. He nodded. “Yeah, sure. Sounds like a good idea. I’ll come help.”

“Don’t strain yourself.”

“I’ll be fine, Keith. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I always worry about you.”

Shiro’s only response was to reach out and lightly shove Keith’s face away as they made their way down the black lion’s ramp, ruffling his hair for good measure. Shiro’s expression was inscrutable.

* * *

 

Several hours later the whole team was gathered around their fire enjoying the last bites of the stew Hunk had whipped up using some local tubers and herbs and a small rabbit-like creature Krolia had caught. Hunk was proudly explaining how Shiro had helped by stirring the stew to make sure it didn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. The dusting of pink on Shiro’s cheeks was just visible in the dying sunlight.

The atmosphere was relaxed for what felt like the first time in forever and Keith lounged back, supporting himself on one hand as he looked around the circle of his closest friends and family. Pidge and Matt were arguing about something in low voices, with Hunk occasionally interjecting. Next to them Lance sat with the mice snoozing in his lap and Allura leaning against him while she chatted with Romelle. From the surprised yet pleased look on Lance’s face he was more than happy to serve as backrest for the princess.

Coran and Krolia had gotten up after finishing their bowls and were strolling along the edge of the glistening lake, Wolf trotting next to Krolia and throwing occasional glances at Kaltenecker in the makeshift pasture they’d erected between the red and blue lions.

That left only Shiro, seated comfortably next to Keith. Keith hid a smile as he noticed Shiro was doing the same thing he was, quietly taking stock of where each team member was and what they were up to. It was a habit Keith had developed when he found himself leading Voltron, and now he was realizing maybe it had been something he’d unconsciously picked up from Shiro.

Shiro caught him looking and shot him an amused half-smile. “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing,” Keith shook his head. “Just… it was a good idea to stop here. Even if it puts us a day or two later in arriving to Earth, we really needed this.”

“I think so too. You don’t always realize it right away but spending so long cooped up in a small space like that will put a strain on your body and mind.” Shiro’s smile turned teasing. “Good call, Leader.”

Keith shoved his shoulder in retaliation, a pleased flush rising to his cheeks at the praise. “Oh spare me your space psychology lessons.”

“What, it’s true!” Shiro exclaimed in mock indignation. “How to manage restlessness and keep ourselves from going stir crazy was one of the most important parts of training for the Kerberos mission. Of course then we didn’t have the luxury of just parking our ship on any planet or moon and nipping outside to stretch our legs, so we’re already at an advant—“

“Oh my God you nerd! Enough!”

Shiro dissolved into laughter, and Keith was quick to follow.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few more minutes, watching the light from the primary sun slowly fade.

It felt like the most natural thing, a few moments later, for Keith to nudge Shiro with his shoulder and gesture with his head toward the open field just beyond the ring of lions. “Walk with me?”

Shiro met his gaze and his eyes instantly filled with understanding. “Yeah, of course.”

Keith got up and dusted off the seat of his pants, then offered a hand to help Shiro up.

Hunk looked up from where he, Matt and Pidge were leaned over a datapad. “Going somewhere?”

“Just going for a quick walk, stretch our legs,” Keith replied. “We won’t be long.”

“Watch out for holes in the ground,” offered Allura, “I think one of the native creatures likes to burrow, I already lost one mouse down there earlier.”

“Thanks, we’ll be careful.”

“You going to look for a tree?” Lance added with a leer and an eyebrow waggle.

Keith frowned, confused, but apparently the nonsensical sentence meant something to Shiro because he barked out a warning which was promptly drowned out by Lance’s guffaw.

“What was that about?” Keith asked as they stepped away from the group.

Shiro just shook his head. “Just Lance being Lance.”

The simple explanation was enough for Keith and he turned his attention to the ground, careful not to step in any of the burrows. The last thing he needed was a rolled ankle.

The light of the dying primary sun cast everything in soft yellows and oranges, highlighting little spots of red dotted throughout the field they wandered through. Keith bent to pluck one up as he passed, holding it up to show Shiro. It was a tiny flower, about the size of his thumb, shaped a little like a miniature Earth tulip, and coloured the deepest, most vibrant red Keith had ever seen.

“Pretty,” Shiro commented.

They came to a stop in the shade of a small tree which was covered in white flowers, their light fragrance wafting through the air every time a slight breeze blew through. Keith took a deep breath, letting the serenity of their surroundings envelop him.

“So,” he started.

“So,” echoed Shiro.

“You know I’ve never been good at dancing around a topic…”

Shiro chuckled. “Yeah, you tend to either internalize it or attack it head on.”

Keith narrowed his eyes, but it was said without judgement so he let it go. “Better than when I used to deal with stuff with my fists anyway.”

“Hah, you got that right.”

“So there’s something I’ve been meaning to discuss with you.”

It was a peculiar way to say _the thought of this conversation has terrified me for weeks and I’ve been avoiding it as long as possible but I can’t put it off anymore,_ but thankfully Shiro didn’t call him on it _._

Shiro nodded and leaned back against the tree’s trunk, before promptly standing up straight again as it bowed dangerously under his weight.

“I’ve been expecting this to be honest. Figured you’d come to me when you were ready. What do you want to know?”

Keith took a steadying breath.

“How much do you remember? From… before.”

Shiro looked at his hand, clenched it.

“I remember… most things. The memories that aren’t technically mine are a little… dimmer? I guess? Like I’m seeing them through a veil or watching a movie. But they’re there, definitely.”

Keith sucked in a breath. He had been both hoping for and dreading this outcome. It meant he didn’t have to awkwardly explain everything that had happened between them and with the team while they thought the clone was Shiro, but it also meant Shiro knew everything Keith had done (and said).

“So you remember the… fight.”

Shiro nodded, swallowed. “And everything I did to you.”

He reached toward Keith’s face, knuckles barely brushing along the scar on his cheek. When Keith looked up Shiro’s eyes were haunted and far away.

“Shiro, don’t…”

“I’m so sorry, Keith.” Shiro’s voice was hoarse. “I hurt you so much. Not just this, but also all the horrible things I said to you. I don’t think that at all, you know. You’re amazing and I would never abandon you.”

Keith sighed and let his eyes slip shut, bobbing his head in acknowledgement. He knew in his heart Shiro didn’t mean those things, knew after two years spent with his mother that they were utterly false, but it helped to hear it out loud from Shiro himself.

“I know you didn’t mean it,” he whispered, “it wasn’t you, Shiro. Haggar is the one responsible.”

“Doesn’t stop me feeling guilty about it. I remember doing all of it, and it was me in pretty much every sense of the word.”

“Of course you feel guilty about it, you’ve always been bad at that. Taking responsibility for stuff that isn’t your business or your fault. Used to piss me off actually. Probably half the fights I got into at the Garrison were cause of that.”

Shiro snorted. “That so?”

“Something about testing how far I had to push for you to give up on me,” Keith shrugged. “I don’t know, it was stupid little brat stuff. But you never did. Give up on me that is.”

Keith looked up at Shiro through his bangs, and caught his expression change into something more wistful and far away.

“I can be stubborn like that,” Shiro smiled. “I always knew you had greatness in you; I wanted to see you realize it. And look at you now! Leader of Voltron, the mightiest weapon in the galaxy. Was I right or was I right?”

A small smile tugged at Keith’s lips. “I guess so…”

They lapsed into silence for a moment, watching as the dimmer secondary sun started following its sibling below the horizon. Keith fiddled with the small not-tulip he still held.

It was Shiro who broke the silence.

“But that wasn’t everything you wanted to talk about, was it.”

Caught, Keith shifted nervously, looking everywhere but at Shiro.

“…No, it wasn’t.”

Silence fell again, heavy and expectant. Gently, Shiro pulled the delicate flower from Keith’s grip, saving it from getting shredded to bits. His hand lingered briefly on Keith’s, providing silent encouragement.

Shiro said nothing, and a coil of nerves uncurled in Keith’s chest; being rushed at this moment would make everything more difficult. Instead Shiro busied himself studying the flower, giving Keith the time and space he needed to gather his thoughts.

Finally, Keith took a big breath, exhaled forcefully, and began.

“On that base, with all the clones. I said something. I mean I said several things, but this one thing in particular…”

“You said you love me. That’s the thing isn’t it?”

This time, Keith didn’t mind being cut off. He looked at his fingers. “Yeah, that.”

Shiro shifted a little closer, so he could press his shoulder against Keith’s.

“Keith, I’ve known you love me for a long time. I mean you’re constantly telling me how I’m like a brother to you.”

Keith nodded, still looking at his fingers. He appreciated what Shiro was doing; he was giving him an out, an easy and risk-free avenue to maintain the status quo. He was tempted, for half a second, to take Shiro’s offering. But he hadn’t been mulling over this conversation in his head during the long quiet stretches in Black’s cockpit for the past few weeks only to back out now. And anyways, Keith had never been one to shy away from risk.

“But what if I told you my feelings now are different? Not, like, more or less or anything, just different.”

Beside him, Shiro grew very still.

“What are you saying, Keith?”

Frustrated, Keith raked a hand through his hair, tugging a little.

“It’s… hard for me to explain, all the words feel wrong.” He took a deep breath and gave himself a couple seconds to get his thoughts in order. “You know I’ve never had an actual blood-related brother, and I never got close enough to any of the other kids at the home or at school to even think about them like that. For the longest time my only concept of brotherhood was what I saw on TV or from other families around me. When you came into my life, the way you treated me, it fit with that concept I had in my head.”

Shiro nodded his understanding.

“But somewhere along the way, I think the way I look at you changed. I don’t know when it happened, I think it was gradual. I think of Hunk as my brother, and Matt. Even Lance, but don’t tell him. And Pidge and Allura are my sisters. And of course Krolia, and Coran is like some kind of fun, slightly quirky uncle. I love them all so much, they’re my family and I’d do anything for them. But you… All I know is in that moment, when you—or rather, the clone—were about to kill me, ‘brother’ wasn’t quite the right word to say what I needed to say. I’m not sure what that means, exactly, but there you have it.”

Shiro was silent for a long time after Keith finished. So much so that Keith started dreading the worst, thinking maybe he’d messed everything up. It was too late now to take all that back though.

“Shiro? Please say something…”

Finally Shiro unfroze. He turned to face Keith and when their eyes met Shiro’s were brimming with emotion.

“Keith… did you just confess to me?”

The realization hit Keith all at once, and it punched an incredulous laugh out of him. “I… yeah I guess I did, didn’t I?”

The smile that split Shiro’s face was even more radiant than the setting sun, and Keith couldn’t help but smile back, small and shy.

“Keith,” Shiro held up the small not-tulip from before, now slightly crumpled. “Did you know that on Earth, red tulips mean a declaration of love?”

The abrupt change of subject threw Keith for a loop, so he didn’t react when Shiro reached up to tuck the flower into his hair.

“These aren’t exactly tulips, but they’re close enough. It’s rather fitting don’t you think?”

“Shiro, you’re killing me here.”

“Sorry, sorry, just trying to lighten the mood a little.” Shiro took a deep breath and reached for Keith’s hand. His grip was light and warm, and Keith’s blood sang with the contact. “First of all, thank you for trusting me with all that. I know how difficult it can be for you to open up. Secondly I… see I’m a bit at a loss for words because I’ve been dreaming about this day for quite a while, but I didn’t dare hope.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. I think it’s similar for me; I’ve noticed my feelings for you changing for a while now, especially since that time we were stranded on that deserted planet with the monsters and you saved me in the black lion. You’re strong, and compassionate, and driven, and fiercely independent, and for some reason you’ve stuck with me through everything. Heck I died and you _still_ came for me. Just when I think I can’t be more in awe of you, you go and do something to completely blow me out of the water.”

Tears welled unbidden to Keith’s eyes and he gave a watery laugh. “Now you’re just flattering me.”

“I am being absolutely, 100% serious right now. If a brother is what you needed me to be for you I would have more than happily filled that role for as long as you wanted me around, but still I couldn’t help but wish for something a little different with you. I love you too, Keith. And if you need me to bury you in an avalanche of red tulips to prove it I will, don't think I won't.”

Keith hiccupped and surged forward to wrap Shiro in a tight embrace. Shiro stepped back to steady himself, but his heel caught in one of the numerous holes in the ground, sending them both tumbling down in a heap.

“Oh my God! Shiro, are you ok?”

Keith detangled himself in a hurry and pushed himself up on his hands. Beneath him, Shiro’s shoulders were shaking and for a moment Keith feared he’d gotten hurt in the fall, but then he burst into laughter.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Ah, way to ruin the moment, Shirogane.”

Relieved, Keith let a grin crack his face. Transferring his weight to one arm he used the other to rearrange the plants around Shiro’s head, straightening out those that had been crushed by their fall. He took a few seconds to admire the contrast of the bright red buds against Shiro’s white hair.

“I don’t know, I think you look good like this. It’s like you have a crown of little red tulips.”

Shiro threw his arm around Keith’s waist, pulling him down to rest against him.

“You think so?”

“Yeah, I do.”

Shiro leaned up at the same time as Keith leaned down, and their first kiss was as soft and warm as the rays of the setting sun.

 


End file.
